This game was more about home-plate umpire Brad Polk and field ump Randy Rosenberg than the Delmarva Shorebirds' faded first-half playoff dream or the Lakewood BlueClaws' crawl out of the division basement.

The decision-making skills of the men in blue left the BlueClaws (25-37) wondering how they won the game, and the Shorebirds (35-28) shaking their heads on the way to sign autographs for the 2,686 in attendance, who lifted Delmarva after each unlucky call.

It all started in the fifth.

Starter Sebastian Vader (7-3 3.26 ERA) had battled through four innings, leaving five men on after two innings thanks to two double plays to end the inning. Delmarva got the first three leadoff men on and delivered some small ball to attain a 3-0 lead.

Samuel Hiciano and Deivi Grullon started the fifth with two singles, and after an out, Vader walked J.P. Crawford to load the bases, which drew pitching coach Alan Mills to the mound.

With one out, Dylan Cozens grounded to third baseman Hector Veloz, who swiftly threw over to Anthony Caronia to turn two. Caronia's throw was on a line into first baseman Trey Mancini's mitt. It appeared the throw beat Cozens by a half step, but Rosenberg delayed for a half second and swung his arms out from his chest.

The normally passive Mancini tossed the ball in and chatted his thoughts to Rosenberg.

The inning continued with only two outs, the score 3-1.

"Two calls didn't go our way," Shorebirds manager Ryan Minor said. "One, the guy at first was out by a step and got called safe, turned the whole inning around."

Then BlueClaws' leading hitter Willians Astudillo singled to right to bring home another run, leaving men on the corners.

And the scribbling and whiting out on the score sheet began.

With a 3-1 count, Vader delivered ball four to Andrew Knapp, but Astudillo had broke for second base on a steal and Chance Sisco gunned him down thinking it was a strike called by Polk. Rosenberg signaled out and the Shorebirds started trotting off the field until Astudillo started running to third and Knapp to second.

The perplexed Delmarva squad reacted by attempting to get him out.

And Minor made his way out of the dugout with the scoreboard reading 4-3.

"There was confusion on a play," he said. "Umpire made a call at second base, which if there's a walk, you don't make a call. He made the out sign and everyone thought the inning was over. Of course the guys going to throw the ball down, it ended up scoring a run on the play because there was just confusion because nobody knew what was going on in the play."

David Richardson came on in relief of Vader, who managed to go 4 and2/3 innings. Richardson allowed a run in the sixth, but finished the day strong in two-plus innings of relief. All-Star Jimmy Yacabonis pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings to extend his ­scoreless streak to 24 innings.­

After that it was tough to get back in the game, but the Shorebirds had their chances, Minor said.

The Shorebirds got the leadoff man on in eight of nine innings, giving them a chance to get back in the ball game, but baserunning nullified any rally.

In the sixth, Sisco led off by being plunked in his side. On a Veloz fly to deep center, Sisco tried to tag up but was gunned down by Jiandido Tromp.

Most importantly in the ninth, the Shorebirds had another chance after closing the lead to 5-4 on a Anthony Vega sac fly the inning prior.

Caronia led off with a single. Yaz flew one down the left field line that landed 1 foot foul and 10 feet in front of the fence. He ended up popping out, but Jeff Kemp would single.

Drew Dosch blooped on to center and Caronia read that it would drop. But as the Shorebirds luck Sunday, the ball hovered for an eternity, allowing Hiciano to double up Caronia at second to end the game.

Looking back, Minor said the small ball approach in the first three innings worked, but hindsight is 20/20.

"With Vader on the mound and the way our bullpen's been pitching, we felt like it was enough," he said.